Hello, Winsidr Nation! I’m filling in this week to bring you our latest power rankings! As a reminder, the rankings below are an aggregate of the Winsidr team. Each week, we poll our staff to see where each team lies since the last check-in.
Enjoy!
- Indiana Fever (7-21, No. 11 last rankings)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before—the Indiana Fever are the worst WNBA team in the league. You might have heard that last season, but it’s taken a dramatic fall from grace (2-14 since they were 5-7 on 6/22) to reach the dungeon of our power rankings. The Fever are 1-5 since our previous power rankings, and have averaged the lowest points per game (PPG), the worst net rating, the second worst field goal percentage (FG%), and the highest turnovers per game in the league. Lock them up and throw away the key.
- Phoenix Mercury (7-20, No. 9 last rankings)
Phoenix has only gone 1-4 since our last rankings, but that isn’t because they won’t share the ball. Since the last edition, the Mercury rank fourth in assist percentage, assisting on over two-thirds of their baskets. The problem is their offensive and defensive ratings (ORTG/DRTG) are still only ninth in the league. They handed an upstart Atlanta Dream team a toss loss on the night Diana Taurasi scored her 10,000th career point, but lost to a mix of others, including the number 12th ranked team on this list.
- Seattle Storm (7-20, No. 12 last rankings)
Seattle rises on our list this edition thanks to a 3-2 record since the last time we spoke. That may not be glamorous, but the 2023 Seattle Storm will take any and all positives, thank you very much. Seattle is third in net rating since our last power rankings with a second-rated DRTG to boot. This team is still lacking a ton and leave many scratching their heads at times, but we’ll take it from Noelle Quinn’s group.
- Los Angeles Sparks (10-18, No. 10 last rankings)
The bottom four in the league are playing a little musical chairs in our power rankings this week. The Sparks are coming off a 3-3 couple of weeks with plenty of up and down play to show for it. The injuries have been disastrous, and their commitment to defense has waned at times. This .500 week is a microcosm for their season. Since the last posting, they aren’t especially good or especially bad at anything they’ve done. With all their injuries, the only consistency is that they are inconsistent. Hard to make too many moves when the team is stuck in neutral.
- Washington Mystics (13-14, No. 6 last rankings)
Finally, some serious movement! Well, it is only two spots, but that’s better than the free-fall this Mystics team seems to be in, despite the narrow win against the Sparks on 8/4. That’s the only win for them, having lost four other games and not looking especially good doing it. With so many versatile vets out with injuries, their offensive rating is 11th over the past two weeks and the second worst win-loss record. With reinforcements hoping to return around the Commissioner’s Cup, this team is holding onto a playoff spot for dear life.
- Chicago Sky (12-15, No. 8 last rankings)
Chicago comes into this power rankings on the rise with a win-loss record of 3-2, third-best in the league. They’re averaging the most PPG during that stretch by almost four points and their ORTG has been an astounding 118.5. The issue has been their defense, where they also have the worst DRTG during those five games. This team is clicking on all cylinders at one end of the floor and a complete disaster at the other. Makes for some highly entertaining basketball, but doesn’t help the Sky push themselves true threat territory.
- Minnesota Lynx (13-15, No. 7 last rankings)
The Lynx have hummed along nicely with three more wins. It’s not massively impressive, but it is when you recall where they began. In case you forgot, they began the season 0-6, so a 13-9 run the last 22 games has been a sight to behold. What’s interesting is all six of those early losses came before rookie phenom Dorka Juhász was placed in the starting lineup. If the Lynx can continue their shooting prowess of late (second in FG% in their last five games), the Lynx will continue climbing the charts in no time.
- Atlanta Dream (15-13, No. 5 last rankings)
The Dream stood pat this week not because of their three losses (they also had three wins), but to whom they are losing. They lost to the downtrodden Mystics and the looking-to-2024 Phoenix Mercury. A loss to the Las Vegas Aces is nothing to be ashamed of, but those other two losses are inexcusable for a team recently coming off a seven-game win streak. In fact, the Dream are only 3-5 since that seven-game win streak, and will need to find some consistency to be taken seriously as a dark horse title candidate.
- Dallas Wings (15-13, No. 4 last rankings)
The Wings were in fine enough shape, losing to the teams they should (Aces, Sun) and beating the ones they should. That was until a certain Winsidr owner—for privacy’s sake, let’s call him Aryeh S. No, that’s too obvious. Let’s say, A. Schwartz—who called the Wings a title contender on a recent Winsidr podcast. Then the Wings backed that up by losing two straight games to the Sky, giving up 104 points in each. If the Wings are to live up to Aryeh’s billing, they will need to find greater defensive consistency. For now, they are clearly a tier-three team with lots to be proud of so far this season.
- Connecticut Sun (20-7, No. 3 last rankings)
The Sun have only played four games in the past two weeks, but are 3-1 in those games. They have the second best net rating and assist percentage during that stretch, and averaging the second fewest turnovers per game too. The Sun may finally be rounding into form after some growing pains without center Brionna Jones. Much of that heavy lifting is due to the triple-double machine Alyssa Thomas. If she’s not on your MVP board yet, time to add her. Connecticut is really good, but they are only 1-4 against the two teams above them in these rankings. If they want to return to the finals, they will need to find the magic formula to beat them.
- New York Liberty (22-6, No. 2 last rankings)
The Liberty may be the most impressive team on this list, and if it weren’t for the Aces being excessively better than any other team in this league, they would have a case for the top spot. The Liberty have played a whopping seven games, winning a league-leading six wins in the past two weeks, capping it with a beatdown of those very same Aces on 8/6. One of the biggest issues for New York this season has been their guards’ defensive play, but during those seven games, their guards are first in the league in DRTG. Look out, fam. The Liberty are coming to play and are very dangerous at the moment.
- Las Vegas Aces (24-3, No. 1 last rankings)
Every year, no matter the professional sport, any time there is a history-making great team, everyone asks how they will get through the season. Will they be engaged enough night in and night out? Will they take the regular season seriously enough to keep bludgeoning teams each game? Those same people say a bad loss only strengthens that team, and the Aces just had theirs. They got rightfully embarrassed in Brooklyn on 8/6, but don’t let that fool you. Las Vegas has as good a shot as anyone to repeat, and that loss may soon be nothing but a blip on the radar. No change here because none needed. The Aces are the best team in the league.
All stats as of 8/7. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of WNBA.com
